East Lodge And Gate Piers, Buchanan Castle

East Lodge and its gate piers date from the early 19th century, and were designed by William Henry Playfair. Later additions and alterations have been made, including an inserted attic to the rear (north) and extensions to the rear and west. Originally a rectangular-plan lodge, it has been converted to an L-plan. The design is classical and symmetrical, with the principal (south) elevation featuring a doorcase that includes a simplified entablature with two triglyphs. The original block has round-arched openings. The building has a piended roof with deep, overhanging eaves.

The original section is constructed from dressed sandstone with painted ashlar dressings. A partially painted rubble extension sits to the rear, and a rendered extension is present to the west. The original block features architraved openings, a base course, painted vertical margins along the edges of the stonework, droved quoins, and long and short surrounds to the windows.

The south elevation has a central entrance with a projecting architrave, a simplified entablature with a raised corniced frieze and two triglyphs, and a replacement panelled timber door. Flanking windows are either side. The east elevation has two regularly placed windows in the original block. The north elevation includes a 20th-century dormer, a lean-to addition below a later glazed addition, and a further single bay addition set back to the outer right. The west elevation has a rendered single bay addition projecting to the left and a round-arched window on the return.

The roofs are grey slate, piended, with the original block exhibiting an almost pavilion-like form and the west addition also piended. The original block has 13-pane timber sash and case windows with splayed astragals. A rendered central ridge stack has round cans. The interior was not inspected in 1999.

The entrance gateway consists of a pair of rectangular sandstone piers, painted white, with lower flanking piers for pedestrian access, also painted white. All have base courses (the main piers are stugged) and pyramid coping. Cast-iron gates with spiked railings are centered between the piers. Swept wing walls, constructed of coursed droved sandstone with rounded coping, flank the gateway and terminate at the lower-height piers.